Those Who Ride
by Eternities Angel
Summary: Karou's a fast and furious girl who ran away from home to live with her Aunt and Uncle in Chicago, but along the way she gets stopped by Kenshin and the gang. What will happen?
1. The Beginning of All Things

It was hard to say how long she had been traveling. The only thing she cared about is being free. Karou pulled the throttle and let the engine roar as the sleek red Ninja pulsed forward at incredible speed. Karou leaned into the bike and smiled as the scenery flew by her. This was something she had always wanted. Ever since her uncle took off one day and returned just a month later and told of his travels she decided what she wanted.  
  
Karou had just turned 19 and her uncle had given her enough money to buy her own bike. Of course her parents didn't know until it was too late. She took off without another thought. Her uncle and her had split ways just a few miles back and were going to meet up in Chicago where he had a large apartment with his new wife and children which Karou was looking forward to meet. Karou was more than glad to meet him there. Her uncle was the only person she considered a parent. Her mother was insane and her father was a drunk that spent his entire life at the local bar with a woman named Brittany doing God knows what.  
  
It was hard when her uncle had left her five years ago. He had taken a part of her with him, but he promised her that he would return to her and take her away to a better life. And he had done just that, but he gave her, her own freedom to explore this world before she move in with him.  
  
The trees began to thin and the land became scarce with small bushes here and there, light brown dirt scattering the land. She was heading into the desert for some miles; hopefully soon she would be able to pull over. Soon, she began to see lights down the road. The lights drew nearer as she began to close in the space between them and soon she entered the small town. Karou looked around and pulled the bike over at the local bar, locking her bike by code and touch. She had added some improvements on her bike that allowed her to lock it a special way that no one would be able to steal it.  
  
Helmet still on, she walked in and sat on the stool. Easily she removed the helmet and let her long ebony hair cascade down her back. Back in the corner sat a large group of men, chatting quietly but stopped when Karou walked in. She was an image in red leather with a thick black band on both her upper arms. "Hey Aoshi, whose the girl?" Aoshi turned his head and stared. "Dunno, probably some chick who's pretending to be a biker. Why? Kenshin don't tell me you're into her?" Kenshin leaned over to get a better view of her. "We'll see."  
  
Karou sipped the small glass of Jack Daniels and stared at the glasses. Lights from the outside poured into the small bar like those of a night club. She checked her watched and drank the rest of the alcohol. Grabbing her helmet she pulled her hair up and put it on, heading through the doors to her bike. Swinging her leg over the bike, she unlocked the bike and started it up.  
  
She exited the city and took back to the empty road. Lights lined up in a row ahead caused her to slow her speed and completely turned to the side, staring at the roadblock before her through the shaded lens. Aoshi walked up before the light with Kenshin and Sano, nearing her. Karou pulled the helmet off and stared at them with her dazzling purple blue eyes. "You mind moving your bikes?" Her eyes landed on Kenshin standing in the middle. He dressed in a loose black vest with a white tank tee and black leather pants and boots. His long sexy red hair was pulled back and gathered at the neck; his violet eyes stared straight into hers, not giving a hint of letting her gaze go. Aoshi stepped up and stood next to her. "So what's a girl like you riding on a bike like this?" Sano asked as he walked over on the other side of her. "I'm riding it. What else?" she replied coldly. "Oh little lady has an attitude." Sano said as he leaned on her bike.  
  
Karou's hand came quickly to his throat. "Don't touch my bike." Aoshi grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back. "Relax, he likes to annoy people." Aoshi said to calm her down. Kenshin walked up and stood before her. "Throw her in the car. Aoshi, take the bike back home." Karou struggled to get free from Aoshi's grip as he pushed her towards the black convertible mustang. After tying her up, Aoshi charged the bike and took off. Kenshin sat behind the wheel and sped up, following him back into town. "So what's your name?" Karou remained silent and glared at him. Kenshin smiled. "Look I know your mad right now, but trust me, you'll thank us later." "Yea right." 


	2. Dinner

Karou sat tied in a small bedroom consisting of a wash table, bed upon which she was sitting on, and a few chairs. The room itself was bleak wood paneling, a large window on both sides and a sliding Japanese maple door. Karou leaned back and sighed. How did she ever get into this? Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when Kenshin walked into the room and slid the door shut.  
  
He pulled up a chair and looked at her. "Look I know you're probably mad at me..." "What gave it away?" she interjected coldly. Kenshin grinned and continued. "Ok, maybe a little more than mad, but if you had gone up any further you would have been in a lot of trouble. There's another gang up a ways that would have stripped the bike and possibly you." Karou glared at him. "I can handle myself thank you." Kenshin stood and pushed the chair away from the bed. "Can you turn around?" "Why?" "So I can cut the ties what else?" Karou hesitated and turned around. She heard the ties break with the cut of the scissors and pulled away from him. "Are you hungry?" Karou shook her head. "Can I go?" Kenshin shook his head. "We can't let you go yet. Maybe if you're good, we'll let you go early. Stay put." Kenshin left the room and allowed her to roam it freely.  
  
Karou saw clean clothes on the chair before her. Gently she tested the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. It was smooth and soft fabric, a beautiful shade of blue. She lifted it up and thought about putting on the blue dress. Karou threw it on the bed and quietly slid the door open. Peking her head out just so, she saw that the coast was clear and quickly left the room and down the hall.  
  
Karou stopped. She heard voices behind the door next to her. "Why'd you bring her here?" "Because she could have been killed by Zander and his group. She's searching for freedom. You can see it." 'I agree. As soon as we get word of Zander's whereabouts we can show her a safe path out of this place." It went quiet. "Fine. But we should be careful. I don't trust her." Rustling of the chairs and footsteps caused her to rush off down the hallway before they find her.  
  
"Ok I'm lost." Karou muttered to herself as she looked around at her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar to her. Then again nothing here was familiar. The smell of food moved her forward to a small part in the doorway where a woman dressed in a knee length purple dress, white apron bound around her waist. She had long dark hair down to her waist, pulled back at the neck. She turned around and smiled. "Oh hello! You must be the girl they brought in. My name is Megumi." She said with a smile. "Come on in." Karou hesitantly walked into the small kitchen and picked up a cutting knife. "You can chop those carrots there and then place them into the pot."  
  
Kenshin walked down the hall and back into the room where Karou was supposed to be. "AOSHI!" Aoshi rushed into down the hall and joined him. "Ok, this is bad." They both ran down the hall and split at the cross way.  
  
Kenshin ran past the kitchen and stopped just a ways down. He ran back and stared into the room. "Megumi, why the hell didn't you tell me she was here?" Kenshin asked with a bit of relief. "Because you were already busy and she's not a prisoner. Now go get the rest of the group and get ready for dinner."  
  
The group gathered in the large dinning hall and waited for the cooks to enter the room. "Can I please dress differently?" Karou begged as she looked at herself in the mirror. Megumi and Misao smiled. "Don't worry you should have seen Misao the first time she had to wear it." "Worst time of my life." Misao added as she walked by Karou to straighten the back of her red dress. Karou looked again in the mirror. The sleek low cut red dress fitted snug around her slim body. The length itself was only to the middle of her thighs, and the high heeled red shoes were killing her. "Don't worry. We only have to do this once every two weeks. Next week the boys owe us a spa day." Misao said with a grin.  
  
Kenshin, Aoshi and Sano sat at the large table, chatting when the room quieted down. Karou followed Megumi with Misao behind her and the rest of the women behind her. All men hollered at them and Karou thought she was going to die. Megumi, Misao and Karou placed the food before Sano, Aoshi and Kenshin and then sat beside them. Kenshin smiled as they started to eat. "Don't say anything." Karou hissed through clenched teeth. "All I was going to say was that you look nice." Karou looked at him. Something deep inside her wanted to hate him but he had not harmed her. "Thanks." "For what?" "For saving me." Kenshin smiled.  
  
Zander stood outside the large house. He had already killed the lookouts and the spies that were watching them. "Zander are we going to attack?" asked his second in command. "We'll wait till their scattered, then we'll attack!" 


	3. Fire

Kaoru walked down the empty hallway side-by-side with Kenshin. The night was cool even though she was in a long sleeved dress. Kenshin saw her shiver and took off his leather jacket, placing it around her shoulders. Kaoru looked at him with calm eyes. "Thank you." "So where were you heading to?" "Chicago. My aunt and uncle live up there and I was going to join them." "What about your parents?" Kaoru grunted. "Like they care. My fathers a drunk and my mothers insane. Some parents huh?" Kenshin remained silent.  
  
Kaoru looked to her left and saw a small garden and gasped. "What?" Kaoru rushed out and smiled as she bent over, gently touching the dark green vine. "It's a vine, what's so great about a vine?" Kenshin asked as he joined her. "Watch." She said softly. Kenshin stared at the vine. Nothing was happening and he was beginning to think this pointless when the moon pulled away from the black clouds and scattered upon the land. As if by magic, beautiful lush white petals pulled out from the green vine and into a large flower.  
  
All over the garden they appeared. Kaoru laughed as she stared at them. "I thought they were just vines." Kaoru smiled at him. "Not everything is as it seems." Kenshin walked over and took her hands in his hand, his other snaking around her slim waist, drawing her closer to him. "You're right." he said softly, their faces barely inches apart from each other. Their lips met, parting slightly, tongues raging in a silent war of passion. Kaoru raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck, drawing him as close as possible.  
  
They parted, Kaoru smiling at him; Kenshin ran a hand through her ebony hair and smiled back. She leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. 'Maybe this is what my uncle would have wanted.' She thought happily to herself.  
  
"Sir?" "Now is the opportune moment." Without a second thought, they took the house like a swarm of flies, barely giving their opponents time to react. Kenshin and Kaoru heard the screams and rushed in only to be taken and tied up. Their captors shoved them into the dining room where Zander stood in the center. He looked over them with small cold brown eyes that finally rested up Kaoru. He grinned and walked over to her. "Well now, who do we have here?" he asked with an intimidating voice. "Fuck off asshole." She hissed coldly. "Oh! Feisty aren't we?" he said with a smile. "Charter, take her to my car."  
  
Charter walked over and grabbed her, but Kaoru twisted to the right and kicked her legs into his stomach, knocking him against the back wall. Kaoru stood, though her hands were tied behind her back she could still fight. They were just like those punks back at the trailer park that used to pick on her and if she could kick their butts, she could defiantly kick theirs.  
  
Charter nimbly stood up and began to rush at her again when Zander stopped him. "Since you seem so willful, lets make a deal. If you come with me, I won't kill your friends. If you stay with them, then you'll die with them." "Your not serious." "Oh I'm dead serious. You see they've been causing business to slow down. And well I can't have that. Either you come with me or I'll kill them all in front of you." Kaoru knew that she didn't know them that well but it felt like she had known them for an eternity. Kaoru glanced back and glared at the floor. "Fine." She muttered. Zander smiled. "Good, good."  
  
Zander led her outside and put his hand up. His men rushed towards the house with torches and gas. Kaoru had made the biggest mistake of her life. "NO! YOU PROMISED!" she screamed as she struggled to get free, but Zanders grip was too strong. He shoved her into the car. Her sapphire eyes filled with tears that slipped down her flushed cheeks as she saw the house become engulfed by fire. 


	4. Pain of the hearts

Thank you to all of my reviewers! Much love! To anyone who's reading this story I suggest that you read NARGIEGIRL21's new story called The story. It's very well written and I can't wait for the next chapter!   
  
Zander pulled around tight twisted roads that wound around the small mountains. Eventually he pulled off on a road that led to a large house on the top of a hill, but still well hidden by the terrain. He pulled up and walked to Kaoru. Gently lifting her into his arms, he walked her up into one of the many rooms and laid her on the bed.  
  
Kaoru felt like she had been hit by a truck when she woke. She wanted so badly to believe that she was back the room Kenshin had put her in, with all of her new friends. She wanted to wake up with Kenshin sitting over her, watching her, making sure that nothing would happen to her. But when she did open her eyes, she knew that it was just a wasteful hope.  
  
Tears slipped down her cheeks. She pounded her fists on the pillows. She should have known better. Kaoru hated her life. Why did every good thing that ever happened to her be taken away from her. Her sapphire eyes stared at the bare wall as she lay on her side. Kaoru rolled the sleeves up on her dress and stared at the scars her mother had given her. She re-etched them with her fingers and closed her eyes as painful memories filled her mind.  
  
Flash back... "Mom...what are you doing?" the woman came closer to her daughter, fingers tightening around the black handle of the long silver blade. "Mom... Mom put the knife down... Please put it down! MOM!"  
  
Kaoru pushed the memories away and looked elsewhere, trying to turn her attention to something else. The sound of the door opening startled her. Kaoru pulled the sleeve back down and looked over her shoulder. "Don't you knock?" she said coldly to Zander as he strode into the bedroom and sat on the bed, staring at her. "You know you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen." "Flattery won't work. Just leave me alone." Kaoru said as she turned away from him. Zander grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into him. "I'm never going to leave you alone." Kaoru's eyes widened. It took her a few moments to register what he just did, and when she did get it, she pushed him away with such force it even scared her.  
  
"Don't ever touch me." She hissed through clenched teeth. Zander reached out to grab her and had a hard time with her moving away so quickly. Finally he grabbed her wrist and tightened his grip on the slender bone beneath the ivory skin. "Let go, you're hurting me." "You listen to me. You're mine now and I'm not letting you go no matter what." Zander squeezed her wrist harder before letting it go and storming out of the room.  
  
Her breath was ragged as she held her wrist. It was beginning to get its color back, but she could tell that it was beginning to bruise. She had to get out of here no matter the cost.  
  
"Misao, do you still have your Swiss army knife in your back pocket?" Kenshin asked. "You idiot I'm in a dress!" "But you wear shorts underneath." Aoshi put in quickly. Sano, Megumi and Kenshin stared at Misao and Aoshi. "Don't ask." Misao shouted as she reached as best she could into her back pocket and inched towards Kenshin. Kenshin turned his head to see where her hands where and grabbed the knife. He started sawing through the tight ropes.  
  
His bonds fell apart and he moved quickly through the coughing crowd and released each one. "So how are we going to get out of here?" Sano asked. Kenshin looked around and sighed. "I'll let you know as soon as I know." "That makes me feel better." The group followed Kenshin down the burning halls but stopped when he saw that the way was blocked by falling beams that had caught flame. "Aoshi give me your jacket." Aoshi handed him the smooth black leather. Kenshin wrapped it around his arms and started rushing the door.  
  
The door fell to the outside with a thud and everyone rushed out into the cool night air. They ran to their cars and bikes and took off to their main house, hidden a bout a few miles in the east mountains behind the now burned house. Megumi wrapped Kenshin's wrists from the ropes that had caught fire. They were very red and beginning to blister but they would heal, but his heart might not. Megumi sat before him next to Sano and watched him. "Kenshin... are you ok?" "I let him take her. AND I COULDN"T DO A DAMN THING!" he shouted as he brought his fists down upon the low oak wood table before him. Megumi jumped at the slam and moved closer to Sano.  
  
"Kenshin, we'll get her back." Megumi said as she gently placed a hand on his. "I've had time to talk to her. I can tell she's been through worse... much worse... trust in her."  
  
Kaoru remained motionless as a man brought in a tray of food and left it on the vanity set next to the bed and locked the door as he left. As soon as Kaoru was sure he was gone, she rushed to the food and picked up the fork. If there was one thing she was grateful from her father, it was how to use what she had to pick a lock. 


	5. The Escape

She stepped and twisted the fork in a hundred different positions to match the exact points of the lock. Finally as she turned the fork, she heard a soft click. Smiling to herself she tossed the fork aside and slowly opened the door. Kaoru peaked her head into the large mansion hallway adorned with red carpet and marble banisters. 'Geeze, if they have this much already why do they need to keep at it?' Kaoru thought to herself.  
  
Kaoru, still crouched, tip toed into the hallway, staying close to the stone wall behind her and softly climbed down the stairs, pausing every so often to check who was near. Kaoru paused and flattened herself against the wall when she heard Zander's voice down the hall. He was heading straight her way and if he found out she had escaped before she was able to get out of the building, she would never make it.  
  
Kaoru looked around wildly and rested upon the window not to high up. There was a cloth that drew across the hallway ceiling that they would never think to look up at. She twisted the red cloth around her wrists and around one leg. She began to nimbly and swiftly climb up, hiding her shoes behind some sort of box where she was previously.  
  
Kaoru hung up side down as she pulled her self across. Her breath was ragged and her arms and legs were aching but she was almost there, when her hair ribbon had somehow loosened and fluttered down upon the white marble floor below. Kaoru cursed softly and pulled herself up so that she was on top of the cloth and hid in the center.  
  
Zander glanced over and stopped when his eyes fell upon the red ribbon. He reached out and clutched it in his hand, eyes narrowing. "Charter, go check to make sure that Kaoru is still in her room." Charter nodded and ran off. As soon as he reached the top and saw that her door was open he shouted down to Zander. "Zander she's escaped!" Zander clenched his fists and began barking out orders to all those who were near him. "Get up you assholes! Start looking now!" "Move it! Move it! Movie it now or I'll skin you alive and boil you in oil!"  
  
"Oh fck." She whispered angrily at her self. "I knew I should have retied it but no, I had to just get the hell outta here!" She reached the window and grasped on to the ledge, swinging her legs up. Her eyes scanned the safest way down to the ground and she reached out to the drainpipe that she eventually saw.  
  
The pads of her fingers squeaked as her speed increased downwards. She had a rough landing upon the ground, but she quickly got up and started running. Kaoru ran but didn't know where she was going. Soon she could hear the roar of an engine heading her way. Quickly she looked around and found a small crevice in a cliff ledge she could hide in until she was sure it was safe to run. Slowly she edged her way on the thin ledge, trying not to look down, but her eyes didn't obey and she saw the tiny ravine down below. "Oh shit, Oh shit." She whispered repeatedly as her fingers clung to whatever they could find for dear life. Her foot ran into the hole and she lunged in.  
  
Kaoru could hear the motors of many different vehicles go by as they checked the ledges and the roads near her, but they dulled as she began to sleep. She woke up early right as the sun was beginning to peak across the horizon. Kaoru nimbly re traced her steps across the tiny ledge and up onto solid land.  
  
Standing up, she looked around and sighed. She didn't know where to begin. She knew that if she traveled the main road, she would be spotted and then end right back where she started. Closing her eyes, she spun around and stopped. Eyes opened she walked in the direction of where she landed and was set upon making it there in good time.  
  
The sun was rising to the middle of the sky when Kaoru ran across a little old man hunched over as he walked, which looked more like a waddle to Kaoru. "Excuse me!" she shouted. The old man turned around with a big smile. "Hallo, hallo!" he said in a tiny Chinese accented voice. "What you need?" "I was wondering if you could please tell me where I might find a person named Kenshin." The little man's faces paled. "No, no! Bad man. You no go there! No bad place. Bad place." He said as he turned to walk off. "I don't care do you know or not?" "Jingles know. Jingles know but he won't tell." Kaoru's brow knitted together in anger. "Why not?" "Because it bad place! How many time do I need to say. IT BAD PLACE!" Kaoru was ready to strangle him but she stalked after him as he quickly waddled off. "Get back here! I'm not finished with you!" she shouted. "Oh no. Leave poor Jingles alone! What he do to you?" "He didn't tell me where I could find Kenshin." "Oh!" Jingles said with a pause and a smile. Kaoru began to think that he was finally going to tell her until he shouted. "No, it bad place. Go away, it bad, bad place." "That's it!" Kaoru chased Jingles ignoring where he was leading her. 


End file.
